Participants praise good organization of Al Dhafra Festival

First Published: 2010-12-20

High Organizing Committee intensifies its meetings as Festival experts come from all GCC countries.

Middle East Online

The meeting sought to make sure that all services are securely provided to participants ABU DHABI - The High Organizing Committee of Al Dhafra Festival held a meeting last Sunday headed by Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Advisor for Culture and Heritage in the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), to follow the work of all sub-committees for the various competitions. The meeting also sought to make sure that all services are securely provided to participants by the supporting bodies, as well as to discuss the suggestions made by some participants to develop mechanisms that ensure the strengthening of international standing that the Festival enjoys on the map of heritage festivals. Meanwhile, participants in the Mazayna camel competition from all GCC countries praised the organization and keenness of the organisers to provide all the services and needs to ensure a successful participation. Those taking part added that the Festival is the most important and largest in the world, expressing their delight to be in Abu Dhabi, and the large public follow-up and the large audiences at all laps. The Festival is held on dozens of square kilometers of the desert in Al Gharbia (the Western Region). Events include a traditional market of UAE handicrafts, a dates packaging competition, a photography contest, and the Mazayna camel competition (beauty contest), which attracted more than 800 camel owners participating with approximately 20,000 camels. Prizes in the various competitions reach up to 35 million UAE dirhams. Making the judgements in the Mazayna camel competition are experts from the GCC countries, where the standards include all parts of the body with the total scores of 100 points, distributed as follows: 25 points on the details of the head and neck (whiskers, nose shape, head size, ears' erection, neck length and height) 20 points on the upper part (length of withers, height of withers, shape and location of the hump, length of the back) 15 points on the front part (width of lower neck, body length, the size of foot). 10 points on the rear part (largeness of backbone, width of rear foot) 30 points on the general form and fitness, including (beauty, the length of flanks, camel size, body health, hair shine) The Mazayen competition is divided into two camel categories: Asayel (light-skinned) and Majahim (drak-skinned). The Festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Water, Department of Municipal Affairs in Abu Dhabi's Western Region Municipality, General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police Directorate of Police Western Region, Western Region Development Council, the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Institute of Applied Technology in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the Centre of Waste Management. The gold sponsor is the company Build Middle East; sponsor of mixed-bred camel races is the Emirates Nuclear Energy Institution, and the bronze sponsor is Emirates Advanced Investments Company.